Pakistani diaspora in US supports healthcare project in Karachi


IV Report 

KARACHI: A major health facility project, aimed at providing services to people from suburban and underserved communities of Karachi, Thatta, and Sujawal, was launched in Malir district on December 25. The project, undertaken through private hands, was inaugurated in the presence of philanthropists, including Pakistani descent physicians in America, provincial ministers, and senior local physicians.

During the ceremony, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah performed the groundbreaking of the 312-bed Hassan Suleman Memorial Hospital (HSMH). The hospital, covering 2.5 acres of land provided free of cost by the Sindh government in Ibrahim Hyderi taluka, is expected to provide quality healthcare services to the local community.

CM Shah described the proposed HSMH as "a beacon of hope" and pledged a one-to-one matching grant from the Sindh government for all donations received. In addition to allocating land for the hospital, he stated that the government will support the hospital in its development and operational phases.

Dr S M Triq Rafi, the project director, said that the health facility has been aspired by Hassan Suleman Foundation (HSF) with the efforts and generous contributions of Pakistani doctors in the United States. "As there was no standard healthcare facility in the area, it is hoped that residents of Karachi, Thatta, and Sujawal, and those living along the National Highway, will benefit from the planned hospital," Dr Rafi added.

The hospital, expected to be completed in one and a half years, will employ local doctors and provide 24-hour emergency, trauma, and cardiac care. Pakistani physicians and surgeons from the United States will also serve virtually.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by provincial ministers Sharjeel Memon, Sardar Shah, Jam Khan Shoro, Shahid Thahim, Riaz Shah Shirazi, and others, alongside leading doctors like Prof Amjad Siraj Memon, Prof Shahid Rasool, and Prof Tariq Mahmood.

HSF Chairman Dr Javed Suleman expressed gratitude to the Sindh government for allocating land and making a financial commitment. "The hospital's mission is to provide free, high-quality medical services to those in need."

HSMH President Dr Iqbal Zafar highlighted the strong international collaboration towards the hospital project, emphasising the unity of purpose connecting Pakistani Americans with their homeland. He described the hospital as "a lifeline for the Malir community."

 

With an uninterrupted 23-year career in daily journalism (1991-2013), the author/editor of this blog currently serves as Editor of Social Track, a weekly newspaper focused on social sectors, based in Karachi. Holding a master's degree in Mass Communications from the University of Karachi (1990), his professional experience includes roles as senior reporter at Daily Dawn, Karachi (May 2001-August 2013) and Chief Reporter at The News International, Karachi (April 1991-May 2001). He has a strong background in development journalism, he has an extensive portfolio of news stories, analytical reports and features covering a wide range of sectors. He has had the privilege of covering numerous high-profile figures, including Pakistani presidents, prime ministers, army chiefs, foreign dignitaries, and VVIPs and attending conferences and workshops abroad. He began his journalism career in the early 1980s. Throughout his career, he has received several national awards from government and private organisations. He has contributed to various radio and TV/channel broadcasts and has also served as a trainer at workshops in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, focused on training journalists.

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